The Age of Spyro: The Mysterious Blue Hut
by Chad Rick Lesens
Summary: After saving the Realms of Avalar from The Dark Master, the Purple Savior and the former Terror of the Skies stumble upon the most unusual chamber they have ever seen, and discover the strangest creature. With the help of this strange Physician from the Stars, the two must return to Avalar and face enemies alongside allies both new and old.
1. Old Memories

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the content pertaining to these characters or any plot references. All rights are reserved by BBC, Insomniac Games, Vivendi, etc.**

One

Old Memories

It was impossible. His search was nearly as endless as the numerous volumes that surrounded him in these underground chambers.

_How am I supposed to find them if they are nowhere to be found in any of these texts_, he pondered to himself with a frustrating growl and a huff of smoke emanating from his nostrils. He never thought it would be so difficult. At first he began searching in _The_ _Book of Fallen Dragons_, for whenever one died, a page pertaining to that dragon would appear, but it was to no avail. He then organized his search by narrowing down the books in terms of their relevance to the subject which he has inquired, first by title, then by content. But that was when he began to grow extremely desperate, examining every chronicle, page by page, searching in agonizing futility for the lost Savior of the Realms and his dear friend.

_Damn it! Where in the blazes are you, hatchlings?_ It has been nearly ten years since there was any sign of them, whether it be their location or intended destination. However, it was not as if he spent the entire time examining the texts for his long-lost friends, for he had to record into the Books of Time the events that occurred in this current age. It was after the defeat of The Dark Master, and the salvation of the Realms of Avalar that a new age succeeded the previous. And as each age is preceded by another, so also did a Chronicler precede Ignitus.

It was only after recording events that Ignitus regularly searched for the Purple Savior and his companion, the former Terror of the Skies at the end of each day. But in these ten years, nothing has ever come up to indicate their presence anywhere in the Realms, not even a sighting by word of mouth, nor a murmur. It was almost as if they simply faded out of existence and into oblivion. For all he knew, they sacrificed themselves in order to defeat Malefor.

After the Realms were reassembled, and the world of Avalar restored to its entirety, each of The Guardians, Terrador, Cyril and Volteer, conducted a searching party throughout the entire world. They even paid a visit to the White Isles with the help of Sparx, Spyro's adoptive brother. But despite his efforts to remember, they never found the entrance the young purple dragon took when he spoke with the previous Chronicler. Even if they succeeded in making contact, and reunited with their late colleague and friend, there is little or nothing that Ignitus could offer them as consolation. As far as he could tell, since the dawn of this new age, Spyro and Cynder never existed.

After a year, the Guardians gave up on their search, declaring Spyro and Cynder only to be missing through the insistence of the Irregular Dragnofly, as Sparx has since been named. They could no longer search for them due to the last remnants of Malefor's army of apes. They began to raid villages in the hopes of retaliating the loss of their leader by terrorizing the inhabitants of every Realm. This sparked the rising attacks along every coastline by pirates, even to the point of looting ports upriver. If that were not enough, packs and wild clans of various breeds joined the apes in their pillaging, from wolves of the Tundra to lions of the Grasslands.

However, the Guardians were not without their allies, one of which is the cheetah clan of Spyro's friend Hunter. They and the neighboring clans of their brethren united alongside those of the moles, who bravely defended Warfang from the once undefeated armies of Malefor. Sparx also contributed greatly in their cause for healing and reconstruction by volunteering himself and his fellow dragonflies of the Swamp to act as reconnaissance. Along with every available dragon, including yearlings that were roughly Spyro and Cynder's age, these allies led by the Guardians gradually gained ground against the ruthless renegades who were wreaking havoc throughout the world.

Seven years into the conflict, however, the air vessels of the pirates began to possess more firepower, using state-of-the-art weaponry that was far beyond even that of the moles, who were experts in crafting weapons as well as mining and architectural construction. It was shortly afterwards that the Guardian Alliance encountered an outlandish air ship piloted by the most unusual creatures, who wore armor and clothing to protect their furless skins, walking upright and about as tall as a cheetah. But more importantly, they possessed weapons that can counter those of the pirates. These creatures shared their weapons and technology with the Alliance, joining in this increasingly terrible bloodshed in the process.

It was these turn of events that prompted Ignitus to grow ever more greatly concerned for his friends to the point of desperation.

_If there is no sign of Spyo and Cynder, I'm afraid all hope is lost._ He ravaged every bookshelf in every chamber of his vast library, hoping against hope, to find a single mention of his lost friends. His beastly attacks against the shelves nearly prevented him from noticing one last volume at the corner of his eye. He calmed himself as he slowly made his way towards the last bookshelf standing, with the last book properly placed in the corner of the top shelf. It was the title on the spine that caught his interest even more as he reached for it: _The Disordered Chronicles of the Wandering Physician_.

_The answer tends to be in the last place one ever looks. _With his telekinetic abilities, Ignitus carefully lifted the text, and turned to the last filled-in page, which was several pages in. The first thing he noticed, to his relief, was the hand-drawn illustrations depicting Spyro the Purple Savior, and Cynder, the once great Terror of the Skies. They were side by side, both in a crouching position, as if to pounce on the reader that they faced, baring their teeth, and with eyes showing venomous rage. It was the figure in between the two yearlings that suddenly drew Ignitus' attention.

It appeared to be one of those strange creatures that arrived to aid the Alliance, but without the unusual battle armor or weapons. Instead, it was in even more foreign attire, wearing a long cloak that had sleeves rather than a hood, and underneath it was a pin-striped uniform of sorts, with a thin piece of cloth tied around the neck under the collar. In its hand was a cylindrical piece of metal, raised to the level of its head as if to reveal its threatening power. The face of the creature, like the others, resembled that of an ape's only slightly, with a different nasal bone marrow and jawline, as well as limited fur only on the head. Its wide eyes and square brows seemed to express a sense of vigilance and determination, as well as a deep sense of exhaustion. It was not the kind that Ignitus would expect from a wearied fighter, but from one who has seen far too many cold and dreary winters, and too few springs. It was then he remembered seeing that face before.

_So, you have returned at last, great wanderer. And just in time too._ He then reads the inscribed text beneath the illustration, which widened his eyes even more. _But this is no return to Avalar for you, is it?_

* * *

><p>He simply could not believe what he had done. All his efforts to do what is right, all that he learned, everything he knew about himself seemed to be falling apart. It was almost as if he forgot who he was completely, only to be reminded by the painful realization of his dreadful error. And to top it all off: it was at the expense of a great person's life. A fantastic person, and a wonderful woman, who ended her own life to repair the damage that <em>he<em> made as best as possible.

_Everything that I am, and everything I stood for._ _It's gone_. He could not possibly hope to redeem himself from such a destructive act. _If she hadn't pulled the trigger, there could've been a tear in the fabric of reality itself_.

_"The Timelord Victorious is wrong,"_ he kept hearing her stern voice, which showed no sign of fear when confronting the monstrosity he became. That proved how brave she was, how far she was willing to go to maintain her granddaughter's timeline as best as she could.

There seemed to be no way to call it even, except to face his end as well. But all he could do was wait in his vast and empty T.A.R.D.I.S. for that to come about.

"_He will knock four times,"_ the Doctor repeated to himself over, and over again, as if to beat his head like a hammer striking down a spike into the earth. He waited endlessly for those knocks to come, or at least something that could cause a chain reaction of events that will lead him to his demise. Anything that could finally ease his mind off of…

Suddenly a bright flash of light filled the console room of his T.A.R.D.I.S., blinding him as the cloister bell tolled in his ears. Spontaneously, a great force violently pushed the Doctor down, causing him to hit hard against the steel-paneled floor.

* * *

><p>It was the merciless clangor of bells that brought her out of her unconscious state, which ceased as soon as she awoke. She opened her emerald eyes, and adjusted them to the light, finding herself in a large chamber, almost like the mausoleum that was at the heart of the Dragon Temple in the Swamp. On the walls and arching ceiling throughout the chamber were circles emanating golden beams of light, each inside hexagonal concaves in the walls. From the feel on her paws and underbelly she was lying on top of a cold, steel floor. Upon looking around as she rose up, she noticed a tall translucent pillar shining a fluorescent blue light at the center of the chamber, and at is base was a strange table shaped like a circular reef. Encircling the center column were coral-like pillars, branching upward in two limbs from one solid base. She was so deeply awestruck by this wonder that she nearly forgot what happened to her. It was turning her head to find a seemingly lifeless purple dragon lying across the chamber on its side that reminded her.<p>

"Spyro," Cynder exclaimed as she attempted to run over towards her companion, only to feel her claws snag. She yelled in pain as she fell back, head first, onto the ground. Lifting her head to look at her paws, she noticed that her claws were caught in the small gaps that were between thin, intersecting steel bars. Realizing it was the only kind of floor panel in the chamber, Cynder carefully raised her body off the floor and slowly removed her claws out of the gaps. Upon examination of the space in the chamber, she concluded that there was not enough to spread her wings and hover towards Spyro. She then lifted her claws from the floor and quickly made her way over to him on the pads of her paws.

"Spyro! Are you alright," she asked fearfully as she used her head to nudge on his shoulder. She checked for any injuries on the body, and noticed the golden-yellow scales of his underbelly moving back and forth.

_Okay. Good, he's still breathing_. Looking back at the face of her friend, Cynder noticed the eyelids flutter briefly before pools of solid purple revealed themselves.

"Spyro!" She placed her head carefully underneath his neck as he rolled back onto his belly, slowly helping him lift himself off the floor.

"Cynder," he answered with a grunt, "what…what happened?"

"I'm not sure," she said, moving her head back up to the level of his, "can't you remember anything?"

"I…I don…wait," Spyro slowly calmed himself as he took in his surroundings.

"We were at the heart of the planet. It was falling apart, and then I…did something to put it back together."

"Yeah, you used your infinite power thing to save the world," Cynder responded to confirm his recollection.

"There was a big flash of light. But just before it blinded us, I…I heard you say," then Spyro turned his head back to Cynder, losing interest in their surroundings momentarily. Their eyes were locked in a deep gaze before their attention was shifted yet again by the sound of a grunt on the other side of the chamber, behind the center column.

"Oh, blimey," they heard a strange voice exclaim, "What was all that, eh?" What shocked the two dragons even more was the look of the most unusual creature they have ever seen rising up onto its hind legs. It turned to face them, which prompted it to widen its eyes in flustered confusion.

* * *

><p>"What," was all the Doctor could exclaim, "What?" In front of him – well, behind the console in front of him – stood undersized dragons that seemed to be in their mid-adolescence.<p>

"What the hell are you," came a female voice from the dark, violet one with crimson underbelly and membrane, six white horns, claws and lance-like tail, as well as geometric patterns on its head and forelegs, and steel braces on its neck and forelegs.

"What," the Doctor is perplexed even more.

_They can actually speak like people?_ It was one thing to know what a horse says from a neigh, but another to actually hear the intelligible speech of a sentient creature from a dragon.

"Where are we," the apparent female dragon asked with impatience and anger in her voice. Looking at her partner, the Doctor noted a purple dragon slightly more muscular and taller,_ I'm guessing probably male_. He had a golden-yellow underbelly, claws, leaf-like tail, wing ligaments and edges of orange spikes running down his back, with the wing membrane also orange.

"But…" the Doctor stammered.

"Tell us where we are or we'll tear you to shreds," the female growled in rage as she began to crouch.

"Cynder, wait," the male exclaimed, turning his head away from the Doctor for the first time, "I think it's just as clueless as we are." Suddenly the Doctor felt a terrible sense of _dèjá vú_.

"What?!"

**Please review, any and all feedback is deeply appreciated. Just be sure to keep it understandable and clean. Thank you, and God Bless.**


	2. Destiny Knocking

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the content pertaining to these characters or any plot references. All rights are reserved by BBC, Insomniac Games, Vivendi, etc.**

Two

Destiny Knocking

All Spyro could do at the moment was stare in wonder at the most unusual creature that he ever encountered. It was nearly as tall as a cheetah, and was slightly leaner. He recognized certain characteristics the made it resemble those of an ape, including a rather high-pitched, squeaky voice. However, the nasal bridge and jaw structure were completely different, as well as the size of its hands and feet. And the only fur that the creature seemed to possess was that of a thick, copper brown on its head, extending downward to his neck and lower cheeks on the sides and back, circumventing long, apelike ears. This left the rest of its skin bare and pale. Its eyes stared back at both him and Cynder in perplexed shock and wonderment, showing pupils also brown, as well as the white texture of its eyeballs. It also had eyebrows that were divisive, for one remained diagonally straight, downward toward its nasal bridge, with the other raised and arched. Its small mouth moderately gaped open, revealing teeth that also resemble that of a square, apelike nature.

The manner of its clothing left Spyro even more dumbstruck, for it was far from any manner of dress he had ever seen. Instead of battle armor like the apes or moles, or a ranger cloak and leggings like the cheetahs, it covered its furless body in a sort of uniform, with both upper body and legwear matching of material that is a dark shade of blue, with thin, long stripes of scarlet running down its body. The upper half was united in the middle by a line of blue buttons, two of which were detached at the bottom, with a pocket on each side. Underneath that was a white tunic that had an open collar wrapped around the neck. From within the collar was a thin piece of cloth tied in a knot, stretching down to the creature's abdomen, tucked inside the blue uniform. The material of the cloth resembled that of silk, portraying scarlet plants on a black field. Its footwear, also, was unusual, having a white and red color scheme with a texture that seems to resemble leather, and strings interlaced and tied in a knot at the top, near the ankles.

It was at this moment of taking in every detail of this creature that he heard the menacing threat made by his companion to the right, enabling him back into focus of their situation.

"Cynder, wait!" He turns to place his right paw in front of her in a restraining manner. "I think it's just as clueless as we are."

"What," he heard the creature shout with a tone equal to Cynder's, having also an equally shocked expression to his own.

"How did you do that? We're in flight! That's physically imposs…" the creature then cut itself off, turning the dumbstruck expression on its face to that of rage and fury, "No. No, not again. No!" Suddenly it leapt into action, encircling the round table at the base of the column, aggressively pressing and turning various knobs and buttons with speed and precision.

"Again," Cynder asked, this time as perplexed as Spyro, but slightly returned to the fury she previously possessed, "You mean you pulled this kind of stunt before?" However, the response she got from the creature was not what neither she nor Spyro expected. As it continued to circle around the reef-like table, it babbled on in an angry fit, saying things like "What did you do?", "I don't understand," and in an outcry, "Why did you do this?!" It continued to rant in this fashion, but not at Spyro and Cynder, but seemingly at the ever-raising-and-lowering glass pillar whenever it looked up to face it, almost as if the creature were cursing at it, and the universe in general. But then it turned to face the young dragons once again, and began to ask in a sort of growl, "What are you? Some sort of bait, or a trap? A way to lure me out into the open and force me to interfere with events again? Because that ship has long, since sailed. Oh yes!"

"What are you…"

"Talking about," Cynder completed Spyro's remark, both stated quizzically, and with concern for themselves.

The creature then flipped another switch that caused the entire chamber to violently shake and tilt. The dragons then clenched their claws into the steel floor, while the creature in front of them wrapped its arms and one leg around the table, all of them holding tightly as the room continued to tremble and wobble with consistent ferocity. A strange sound suddenly rises in volume throughout the chamber, emanating a sort of whine and groan followed by a periodic high-frequency pitch.

_This can't be good_, Spyro thought as he felt the chamber make a wild jolt. Suddenly the entire chamber stopped quaking, alongside the unusual sound, with a loud _Thud!_

This caused both dragons to slam their bellies and maws against the metallic floor, making them feel as if they were punched in the gut and jaw. With a grunt and moan from them both, they slowly rose and gradually recovered from that terrible experience. Looking around the chamber with the rotation of their heads, they found the apelike creature picking itself up from the floor as well, turning a rectangular piece of metal to face it, which seemed to shine a strange, blue light at the creature's face. It remained contorted in a fit of menace, but then gradually reduced to another look of puzzlement.

"What was that," Cynder asked, "What did you do?" Without looking away from the illuminating metal, it answered in a low grumble, "Well, I simply retraced the coordinates from when and where you two popped into the time vortex and into my Tardis."

Both she and Spyro shared a perplexed look of frustration, before she turned back to the increasingly mysterious creature saying, "Assuming we know whatever that all meant, what's the problem?"

* * *

><p>"Well, see for yourself," the Doctor responded as he turned the monitor towards the dragons, who looked at the screen in awe and uncertainty. Sensing the need to demonstrate what he was referring to, he pointed with his index finger at the center of the screen, which flashed a small, red light.<p>

"This is us. We're here at this spot." He then motioned his finger to the numerous shapes that surround the red light, "And these are the various landmasses of your planet."

"So, it's a map," surmised the purple male, "A map of our world."

"Exactly! But judging how these continents are separated without any water or any worldly mass whatsoever, and yet are supposed to be conjoined, this planet is scattered into pieces, like a giant puzzle that just exploded."

"W-what're you saying," the violet female stammered, "That our world is…is…"

"Destroyed," the male finished for her, but with as much disdain and grief.

"Well," the Doctor replied in a gulp, "not exactly. I mean, there's still an atmospheric presence that's keeping the planet inhabitable for carbon-based life-forms, as well as a stable gravity field that's holding the pieces in close proximity."

"I don't understand," both dragons spoke in unison.

"Neither do I," he murmured, partially to himself, "And that rarely happens – well, not too often – well, not as often – well, not as often until recently." This brought back memories the Doctor had, when Donna suddenly appeared into his T.A.R.D.I.S. in her wedding gown, due to being injected with huon particles, screaming at the top of her lungs for an explanation. Then the time when he stumbled upon his former, cricket self when their time capsules merged. Then there were the sudden disappearances of Earth and the twenty-six other planets, which were hiding in the Medusa Cascade one second before the whole universe. Then came this: two rationally intelligible dragons, barely in their adolescence, suddenly appear into the T.A.R.D.I.S. in a flash of light, and from a planet that is scattered into pieces, but remaining a life-sustainable world. And apparently, according to the dragons' bereaved reactions at least, this was recent.

"What I don't seem to understand is how all of this is…" he cut himself off as he suddenly fumbled into his suit's left pocket and pulled out his leather wallet, which contained his psychic paper. Sensing a message coming through, he opened the top flap of the fold, and watched as the blank piece of paper gradually contained a written message:

_"Could use a hand here. __X"_

_A cry for help…with a kiss_, he mentally groaned at the very recollection of Donna's words at the Library. Knowing exactly who sent it, he let out a small whine as he turned back to the console, "Oh, no, not…not now. I-I'm busy."

Not only did he have this great mystery and two dragons dropped into his hands, but now he must juggle that with whatever this message was about.

"What?" "What's going on?" The two dragons asked spontaneously.

"Just received a distress call from someone," he answered bemoaningly. "Looks like we'll have to make a little detour." He then typed the specific logarithms to telepathically trace the message's origin, and turns to the screen once again.

"Oh, no thanks," the female snapped with impatience, "If we made it back to our world, then we're getting out before you kidnap us again." After turning to find a set of doors at the far end of the chamber across a ramp, she hastily made her way towards it, cautiously followed by her purple companion.

"No need to get off just yet," the Doctor shouted back, "It seems the message is coming from this planet."

"Where," the male asked with anxiety, "If that's a distress call, then that means…"

"There's trouble," the female completed the remark with the same realization. "And we need to get there as fast as we can." She sprinted her way across the ramp, lowering her head to ram open the doors. What happened next, or what _did not _happen next, caught both dragons by surprise. The doors remained shut, and the female bounced off of it and sprawled onto the ramp. The Doctor turned to face them with a cringe, as she was dizzily shaking her head, and casually announced, "Sorry, failed to warn you in time. The doors only open if you pull from the inside."

"Thanks for nothing," she grunted back.

"Besides, you wouldn't be able to reach them in time by flying," he continued as he sprawled around the console once more.

"But this thing can," the male asked after he tended to his companion for any serious injuries.

"Oh yes," the Doctor shouted back with glee, feeling rejuvenated with a spirit of adventure yet again, practically forgetting how poorly his day began in the process. "I can pilot this beauty in close proximity to the source of the message. Allons-y!"

He swiped the lever with an energetic motion, causing the whining and groaning sound to emanate, as well as the glass pillar's interior to rise and fall again. The chamber began to shake as well, but not as violently as before. Shortly after the sound and quakes turned to silence and stillness, the Doctor scrambled back to the observation screen to scan the area.

"Oh, now that's strange," he stated, returning to a quizzical tone.

"What now?" Both dragons seem to grow evermore impatient, for both were about to pull open the doors.

"All I can see out there is a green and quaint, little valley. No sign of danger or anything." There was no way the Doctor got the coordinates wrong. In fact, their exact location was precisely where he intended.

"Maybe it was a ruse," he thought out loud, "an ambush. Or maybe...the same force that shattered this planet into pieces is causing a temporal malfunction with the telepathic circuitry." He strode towards a coral pillar where a satchel was hanging, grabbed a stethoscope and drew out his sonic screwdriver from his jacket's inner pocket.

"Well, if it's an ambush, then we'll be ready for them," the female growled with impatience and aggression, "Right, Spyro?"

Before anyone could respond, however, something outside of the chamber started to pound on the doors. Four times, then the pounding stopped. This halted the Doctor in his tracks as sweat began to develop over his brow. His hearts felt as if they skipped a couple of beats, then rapidly pounded, gradually reaching towards his skull, then vibrating throughout his entire body. He slowly turned to the door, when the pound at the door came a second time, four beats as well. He noticed that the perplexed expression of his new passengers turned to fear and uncertainty when they looked at his.

_I must be turning pale, or something_. One step at a time, he gradually made his way to the doors. Then a third time, four pounds emanated from them, the same as the previous instances. The Doctor slowly walked past the two dragons, whose heads were up to his waist, and placed his hand on the left door handle. With a firm grip on it, he waited for a short while, listening with care and vigilance. Then, instantaneously, as soon as the pounding completed its fourth repetition, he swung the door open to see who was outside.

His face then turned from vigilant fear into great perplexity, for what he saw next, or _whom_ he saw, caught him off guard at first. Who stood before him, about a couple of meters away with the sun behind, was a female human roughly his height, wearing combat armor and camouflage, and holding a rifle in her hands. On the right side of her belt was a holster containing a handgun. Both weapons appeared to be highly advanced in caliber and design. The woman herself held a firm demeanor, but with a flirtatious smile and deep, hazel eyes. She also had her golden-brown, curly hair held back in a painfully familiar bun. She cocked her rifle as she teasingly spoke.

"Hello, Sweetie."


	3. The Long, Awaited Return

****Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the content pertaining to these characters or any plot references. All rights are reserved by BBC, Insomniac Games, Vivendi, etc.****

Three

The Long, Awaited Return

"Professor River Song," he addressed her in salutations while raising his head, straightening his shoulders and nervously placing his hands in his pant pockets, "You're exactly how I remember you. Well, minus the gun, armor and camouflage, that is."

She chuckled with a smirk, sifting her eyes up and down, and examining the man's appearances with a tilt of the head.

"I wish I could say the same," she replied, but with a giggle she added, "Minus the gun, armor and camouflage, that is." The Doctor huffed a nervous smile, which seemed to conceal a great amount of angst and distress.

"Who's out there," grunted a female voice from inside, "What's going on?"

"Uh," the man stammered as he hopped his way outside, shouting back while still facing River, "Just an old friend paying a visit." This prompted her to raise her eyebrows in amusement.

"Well, just let us out," the voice from inside shouted impatiently, "And we'll leave you two alone!" He slowly became irritated, closing his eyes and shaking his head in response.

"Doctor," an entertained River asked, "Why don't you invite me in, the gentleman you are, and introduce me to your new friends?"

"No, no! Sorry," he exclaimed, slamming the door from behind and holding it in place, "Sorry, River. It's just that things are a bit complicated at the moment."

"More complicated than us? Sweetie, you've just peaked my interest." She continued to stare at him, watching with delight at how much more uncomfortable he became.

"Well," he mumbled with a gulp, "not exactly."

"Then let me meet them," she cut him off, "Unless, there's more than _one_ woman."

"No – River, it's not…not like that," he anxiously fumbled for the words as he began to wrestle with the door that is still toward his back.

"Oh, come on, Doctor," she huffed while rolling her eyes, but still with a smirk, "You're not exactly known for picking up other men without a woman present. And the majority of the people you pick up _are_ women. So, no surprises in that area." This time, she noticed the door beginning to shake violently behind him.

"River…" he grunted.

"Which I don't have any quarrels with." After all, he was best friends with her parents, and especially her mother. At least, he will be.

_Or was that long ago for this one?_ She was not quite certain of where he was in his timeline. Having a different face than the one she was familiar with occasionally had its difficulties in determining his status in their relationship. She continued to amusingly watch his arm-wrestle with door, which he appeared to be losing to.

"Look, as long as they're sisters, and-or they have interests in dashingly handsome men besides you, then I don't mind."

"Yeah, that's great to know, thanks for the compliment, and I have no sisters anymore" he growled the words rapidly as he fought with the ever-more violent door of his T.A.R.D.I.S. "But that's not the problem!"

"Oh," she then asked with slight concern, "Then what is?"

"There are two talking, sentient dragons just in their adolescence inside, and they think I kidnapped them."

"So, then let them out."

"Not that simple! See, they've never seen anyone like me before, and if that is the case, then they've never seen anyone like you before, in which case when they do see you, they'll think you're somebody like me, and since we know each other, they'll think that you and I are partners in this kidnapping scheme!"

The rapidity of his articulation could have easily been misunderstood by anyone listening to him. However, River is one of the few who not only could keep up with the Doctor, but could also be one step ahead of him.

"Doctor, wouldn't you confirm their suspicions by keeping them inside like that?"

He grunted as he paused to contemplate her question. Realizing that it might already be impossible to explain to them his intentions, he looked back to the door, then back at River.

"Okay," he hoarsely whispered, "so it's probably too late to reason with them now. I'm going to let them out, and as soon as they start to attack, we jump in from the side, quickly shut the doors, and make our escape."

"Nice plan, but that won't be necessary," she answered with an even wider smirk as she raised her wrist to the mouth before saying, "Fez."

"What?" Suddenly, from out of the tree-line and into the open field of the valley, creatures of various kinds leapt into action and surrounded the T.A.R.D.I.S. From moles and cheetahs to humans and dragons, they advanced behind River, who kept her stance facing the Doctor.

"What?" The befuddled reaction on his face nearly caught River off guard, for she would have thought a man with his reputation grew accustomed to seeing such a force at his, or any his friends' command. Unless, that was not his reputation yet.

_So, early days, then._

* * *

><p>"What?" He was so amazed by what stood before him that he released his grip, failing to notice the door opening from the inside. He felt a violent pull at his arm as he fell onto the ramp of the T.A.R.D.I.S's entrance. Before he could recover, twice he felt something on his back push him back down and jumped off of him.<p>

"Out of the way," he heard a shout from behind. He quickly rolled over and sat upright to see the two dragons take to the sky. He noticed the awestruck reaction of the troops behind River, which soon became shouts of cheers and triumph for their apparent heroes. The Doctor looked back at River, who was as equally shocked as he, but for different reasons.

"You've found them," she gasped, "They told us they were lost forever, but you actually found them."

"Wait," the Doctor huffed in bewilderment as he rose back onto his feet and looked back up to observe the two dragons, who began to make a wide turn back. "You know them?"

"Only what they told us," she answered in a low tone, as if she decided to take in this moment of wonder. The Doctor faced River again, still bewildered and dazed.

"They?"

"The inhabitants of this planet," she turned back to face him as well, "They said that they were the ones who saved their world from total destruction many years ago, but were never heard from since."

"Oh that was them," the Doctor remarked, recalling how the planet, though in pieces, was still held together by a gravity field and still contained an atmosphere, "But that's impossible. How could they? A feat of that magnitude would require an infinite amount of energy to…hang on!" He then grabbed River by the arm and drew her closer to him as he asked in a low manner, "What do you mean 'years'? How many?"

* * *

><p>Cynder, as impatient and frustrated as she was of the situation, took her chance to escape from that apelike creature and its vessel that apparently can travel at impossible speeds. She still could not believe that she was at the center of the planet one moment, then this valley the next. But that did not matter to her at the moment, for she became so enthused by the wind rushing past her narrow snout and being caught in her thin, crimson membranes. She could no longer tolerate the seemingly cramped space of that large chamber. Due to all the obstructions that were in it, she was prevented from using her wings.<p>

So the moment when she noticed the creature's grip on the door was reduced, she and Spyro took that opportunity to pull it down onto the floor and jumped off of it to gain momentum for flight. But after hearing the sudden cries and cheers from behind her, she turned around to make a pass over where the sounds came from. It was then she noticed Spyro making the same maneuver.

_I guess he's wondering about the same thing._ She soon caught up with him, and followed his gaze downward, where she saw a large crowd at the heart of the valley.

"Spyro, look," she shouted with excitement, "There's Terrador and the other Guardians!"

"And I think I see Hunter," he responded, "Or at least his tribe. And the moles!" Then he looked to see what they were gathering around.

"But I don't understand."

"Why? What's wrong?" Cynder turned her head to look at him.

"What are they doing, circling around that small hut?" She returned her gaze to the ground and noticed the miniscule shed as well. But before she could think of an answer, she realized what was not present on the ground, or at least any longer.

"And what about that stranger's ship that brought us back?"

"I don't know. I'm not seeing anything that might look like one." They later circled around the crowd, gradually descending toward them.

"I guess it, and whoever it was talking to ran away," Cynder huffed with disdain, and passively looked past the crowd and into the recesses of her mind.

_Coward_.

"No, I don't think so. Look." Spyro faced her and tilted his head downward for her to notice what he discovered. There it stood, among the other people of Avalar, looking upward to face its airborne acquaintances along with everyone else. Standing next to it was one of several other creatures among the assembly of troops that closely resembled it. They all were strangely armed and wore unusually colored armor meant to blend into the environment. But what caught Cynder's attention most was the expression that their strange kidnapper possessed, which was unlike those of wonder and joy from everyone else, nor the look of fear that she hoped to see, but one of uncertainty and concern.

"I wonder why he's so upset."

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be…"

"Spyro?" Cynder turned to see Spyro frantically shaking his head after noticing his abrupt interruption. Something appeared to be stuck on his face, causing him to try and shake it off, and to lose his concentration on his descent. He rapidly began to grow farther from her as he gained momentum towards the earth.

"Spyro!" Manipulating the wind with her elemental gifts, she quickly closed the distance, and moved closely beside him. As soon as she grabbed a hold onto both his forelegs, she folded her wings and turned to her side, causing them both to somersault onto the ground, and through the crowds. Their crash landing suddenly came to a close when they both felt something wooden hit their sides.

Opening her eyes and shaking her head, she turned to face whatever halted them. Realization struck her that it was the little shack that everyone gathered at the heart of the valley. And what she thought was odd about it, was the fact that it was completely colored dark blue, with white words in a black field near the top saying _Police Public Call Box_, and a small lantern on the roof. She also noticed a pair of windows framing thickly white glass in six sections. Then feeling something moving underneath her, she looked down to see Spyro, who still had his face and snout obstructed by something. But before she got a closer look at it, she hastily arose from above him, struggling to hold back a blush. Hoping that nobody in the crowd that grew around them noticed, she then slowly approached him and asked, "Spyro, are you okay?"

"Ah! What's on my face? Get this thing off." He rolled back onto his feet and violently shook his head even more.

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh! Hey-ey, easy-y the-ere, buddy-y-y-y! This _thing on your face_ doesn't want to die of motion sickness!" Whatever it was, it released its grip as soon as Spyro stopped shaking, which enabled him to finally open his eyes and see what was now hovering in front of him. He suddenly recognized the glittering presence of his dearest friend.

"Sparx," he exclaimed, "It's you! Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Me? Hurt," the yellow dragonfly replied with a light, but scratchy voice, "Pft. Please, it's going to take a lot more than an oversized, purple brother like you to…to…" He stammered as he bit his lip to fight an emotional breakdown after slipping the word _brother_.

"Oh, come here!" Sparx quickly wrapped his thin arms around Spyro's wide snout, closing his eyes as he let tears flowing down his tiny face.

"Are you kidding? I thought I'd never see you again!" This sudden change in emotion both shocked Spyro and puzzled Cynder.

"Hey, take it easy, Sparx," she spoke up, "It's not like stopping Malefor from destroying the world means never seeing you again. Besides, we just got back."

This prompted a flustered look from him, causing him to release his embrace with Spyro's muzzle, and hovered toward her with a pout, "Just got back?"

"Look, sister, I don't know if you've got a broken watch, or something," he kept approaching her to the point that she had to rear her neck and take a few steps back. "But ten years is not the same thing as 'just got back'!"

"Wait, what?" "Ten years?" Both Cynder and Spyro gaped at the now furious insect, who crossed his arms and turned his thin back towards them.

"Yeah, you heard me," he snapped back in response, "At least _somebody_ kept track of the time."

This prompted both dragons to turn their heads to face the unusual creature that was responsible for this, who joined the gathering that enveloped the trio. After noticing, now, how everyone else turned toward its direction, it nervously grinned at them saying, "Yeah, I sort of…well, forgot to, um…check the…date that the message was sent."

"Meaning," Spyro asked, unhappy of where this conversation was going.

"I sort of brought you ten years into the future."


	4. Destiny Answered

**I Apologize for any inconvenience and confusion, but I decided to update this chapter due to the helpful feedback of your reviews. Thank you all very much, and God Bless.**

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the content pertaining to these characters or any plot references. All rights are reserved by BBC, Insomniac Games, Vivendi, etc.**

Four

Destiny Answered

_Blimey, that went well. In fact, much better than I expected_. The Doctor leaned against the side of the T.A.R.D.I.S. wearing his long, brown trench coat, which he went back inside to retrieve. The female dragon named Cynder was first prevented from attacking him by her male companion, Spyro, which had made him consider himself fortunate, since he had anticipated both to come at him enraged. Then he had begun to explain to everyone about the younglings' entrance into the T.A.R.D.I.S., explained what its name meant, and what it was capable of, that is, to the best of his ability to avoid any confusion.

"It's called the Tardis," he said, "It can travel to anywhere and anywhen. And it's bigger on the inside," he half-muttered the last part in seeing Cynder and Spyro's reaction after her attempted assault. They had first encircled the blue box to examine it more closely, then looked back inside with gaping maws. The Doctor himself began to emphathize their plight, for he also had to adjust to the intelligent dragons on this planet.

However, he had grown accustomed to the other creatures that resembled Earthly animals and stood upright. Since he knew about a certain order of feline nuns on New Earth, this was not entirely shocking to him. He then told everyone how he brought back Spyro and Cynder to their original place and time before they disappeared, at the heart of the planet.

"And that was when I received a message from Professor Song, telling me to come here. I piloted the T.A.R.D.I.S. precisely to the place and time that she sent it, well, close enough. But I failed to check _when_ the message was sent."

"Okay, okay" the dragonfly known as Sparx had perked up, though he sounded as if he misunderstood most of what the Doctor said.

"That means you can just take them back ten years to help us out, then everything will be fine, right?"

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't work like that."

"What do mean," Spyro asked.

"The people of this world have an established history in which both of you went missing for ten years," the Doctor had clarified, "And what is recorded as history is a fact, a fixed point in time that cannot be altered. And since it's your _personal_ history, if you went back ten years while knowing that you've been missing during that period, you'd create a paradox."

"A what," both Sparx and Cynder had asked.

"A disorder, an inconsistency, a contradiction, something that falls out of order," the large yellow dragon named Volteer answered erratically.

"Yes, thank you, Volteer. It's wonderful to know that you've been paying close attention," the enormous, blue dragon, Cyril coldly remarked.

"Anyway," the Doctor continued, "You go back in time, then you would cause this paradox in all of space and time that would basically rip a hole in the universe."

"But it wasn't our fault," Cynder snapped, "You just didn't drop us off the first moment you should have."

"I know. I know. And I'm sorry. I am very, very sorry," he responded with equal discontent, "But I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done about it now."

"Okay, fine," Sparx spoke up with detest, "I get it. You've got rules about paradoctors, and time traveling, and all that. Sheesh! Is that why you fly around in a weird, sort-of police box: because you're some sort of time-cop?" The Doctor chuckled at the proximity of the dragonfly's commentary concerning his own race. And after listening to his voice fairly longer, he could not help but notice how much it resembled that of Michael J. Fox.

But before he could laugh at the irony, he had decided to take his turn of asking the questions.

"So, what's been happening since then? I mean, it's not like you could really search for someone ten years straight without anything to go on." This caused a long pause from the entire crowd, waiting to see who would respond. He then looked at everyone around him, who began to bring him, and his newly acquainted dragons up to speed.

"It was after the shattered pieces of Avalar returned to their proper places that we began our search," the green dragon, Terrador answered, "Which only lasted a year."

"I didn't want to give up. Really, I swear. But I was outvoted" Sparx cut in, "and outsized." Spyro could not help but smirk at his brother's attempt to brighten the mood.

"The final remnants of Malefor's ape armies began to terrorize the Realms in retaliation, which was soon followed by increasing raids and pillages by the pirates."

"Yeah, that too."

"So, peace and balance hasn't been restored," Spyro spoke in submission, "I failed you all again."

"No, Spyro. We both failed," Cynder corrected him, placing her head onto his shoulder to offer him consolation, "We're in this together, remember?"

"And I'm to be blamed as well, of course," the Doctor said as he looked at Cynder, "You were right, I should've been more aware of what was going on around me."

"No," Spyro again replied, "It was obvious that you had a lot on your mind. You couldn't have known what was happening."

"But I should have asked you the right questions _in order _to know, instead of ranting about…" It was then that the Doctor cut himself off, refusing to discuss about the sudden reminder of his lost friend, among other matters, upon their arrival. His sudden act of remorse alerted River's attention, causing her to wonder what recently happened to him.

"Alright, all of you, that's enough!" Cyril interrupted in frustration, "I dare say, this isn't a competition of whoever's most responsible for all these mishaps."

"Yes," Terrador's low, booming voice emanated, "Now is not the time to dwell on past regrets. We're here now. And as of this moment, time is of the essence. We must return to Warfang at once. There we can properly discuss the course of action we must take."

While he was speaking, a high-pitched, beep emanated from River's belt. After she pulled out the source of the sound, which was a familiar hand-held device with a small screen, she analyzed it. Upon deciphering what the signal meant, she announced with unease, "I'm afraid we have to hurry, then. We've got four enemy ships headed eastbound toward our location."

"Let's take them out," Cynder spoke aggressively, anxious for a bit of action for once.

"No," a cheetah named Hunter finally spoke in objection, "We don't have enough in numbers to take the offensive. Quickly! Into the forest. We must avoid detection." He led Spyro and Cynder to his clan, which soon became their bodyguards.

"Dave," River announced to the man who stood closest beside her, "take our troops and join that escort!"

"Dave?" The Doctor failed to recognize her fellow archeologist earlier, but then he started to scan the rest of her eight troops, who were actually her expedition team. Briefly studying her human comrades, he realized that only Dave was present that he could identify from the Library crew.

_This must be before he became Proper Dave, and Other Dave and Anita joined. Also why he seemed to recognize me back then._

"The more protection we've got on those two dragons," River continued, ignoring his question, "The better our chances are of winning this."

The Doctor looked at her with puzzlement as everybody ran away from the clearing and into the forest. Dave promptly obeyed River's orders, leading the archeology team to sprint alongside Hunter's cheetahs. They ran swiftly to the forest with everyone else. They kept Spyro and Cynder safely in the center, with Sparx flying alongside them.

"Come on," she said, taking the Doctor's hand and leading him towards the forest to join the others also.

"But the T.A.R.D.I.S.…"

"It's too small to draw their attention, don't worry," she interrupted him, "She can look after herself. You should put more trust in her, you know."

The Doctor had practically no time to retaliate with a response, for as soon as they reached the forest, they kept themselves low to avoid detection of the ominous sky ships that loomed overhead. To his astonishment, they looked precisely like eighteenth century Earth vessels, except they sailed across the atmospheric oceans above instead. Unsure of the sort of technology the pirates had on board, though by everyone's muteness, he surmised perhaps an audio enhancer, he chose to follow their example, and silently watched the ships slowly passing overhead. But what the Doctor did not expect, was the fourth and final vessel coming to a halt, just above the center of the valley.

_Oh, don't tell me they've got infrared and sonar technology._ He continued to observe with vigilance, still frozen still like the rest of his friends in hiding. However, it was what the ship did next that truly frightened him. Its hull opened up at the center, and lowered a massive grappling claw downward. Knowing what was about to happen, but afraid that any sudden movements might give away his own and everyone's position, he continued to watch with horror as the claw soon clenched at the roof of the T.A.R.D.I.S. The claw was then lifted back up into the heart of the ship, with his time capsule firmly in its grip. As soon as the ports closed, the ship sailed onward, catching up to its fleet directly ahead of it.

"No! No! No! No! No!" The Doctor sprinted back into the open pasture to watch helplessly as the pirate ships faded from his vision and sailed behind the mountains.

* * *

><p>Spyro was not as shocked as the creature was, though he quickly understood that the pirates possessing such a powerful and magnificent machine could be catastrophic. He broke out of the protection detail surrounding him, Cynder and Sparx, and followed the stranger out into the field to see if he could help in any way. But he realized it was already too late the moment that blue hut went inside the ship's belly. He looked up to see the creature staring blankly past the mountains with frustration and disbelief.<p>

"I can't believe it," he exclaimed in a squeak, "I just…I simply can – wha – how – I mean…What!?" He stood there, gaping his mouth and raising his hands to his head to grapple with his hair. Shortly after, the rest of the battalion joined him and Spyro in the field.

"They're pirates! What would they want a little blue box for!?" Spyro then noticed him turning to face everyone in attendance.

"We've got to get her back," he announced with anxiety.

"That's not possible," Hunter spoke in his typical low growl, "We have no way of catching up with them on foot, nor do we know their destination."

"We can't pursue them by air either," Terrador added, "They will easily spot us, and we are too few in numbers."

"But we can't just let them get away," he proclaimed impatiently, "You don't understand what might happen when technology like that falls into the wrong hands!"

"Why? What would happen," Spyro heard Cynder speak from beside him, with Sparx suspended in midflight between them.

"The T.A.R.D.I.S. is the most powerful machine in existence," he answered sternly, pointing a finger in the general direction of where the pirates vanished from sight, "If they ever gain access to the controls, then the universe as we know it will die!"

"Wow! Okay, no offense, time-cop, but a bit overdramatic, don't you think," Sparx remarked at the stranger's hyperbolic behavior.

"But true, nevertheless."

"What did I just say about trust, Sweetie," they all heard the voice of the Professor Song call out from behind.

"I know just as well as you do that she's impenetrable."

"Yes, but that won't stop them from trying, now will it?" Sensing the urgency in his tone caused Spyro to turn to Terrador, "What should we do?"

"We stick to the plan, and return to Warfang."

"No, we can't," the stranger loudly protested, "Who knows what they might do to her? Who knows what damage they're capable of?"

"Actually, there is someone in Warfang that we need you to meet," Professor Song softly replied, "Someone who could use your help, and might be able to answer that question also."

"Who?"

"The Professor," she said.

"Professor who?"

"Our leading expert in the most sophisticated, advanced and ingenious weaponry that the ruthless renegades have come to possess," Volteer answered rapidly.

"A bit long for a name," the stranger quirked with a squint and grunt.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," said Sparx, "Though he really just goes by Professor." This seemed to spark a rejuvenating interest in the stranger as he said with a sniff, "Well then, let's stop wasting time gawking about here, and go to this Warfang place! Come on!"

"Wait a second," Cynder exclaimed as they watched him strode past them all and into the forest with hands in his pockets, "Since when were you in charge?"

"Yes, indeed," Cyril boldly spoke, also in reproof, "And may we ask who you think you are?" This made Spyro realize that they still have not been properly introduced to this strange creature of time. The man stopped, turned around to face them, and coldly announced, "I'm the Doctor. I am nine hundred, five years old. I'm a timelord from the planet Gallifrey. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness, and I am here…" He then paused to take in a gulp of air before saying, "to die."

Sensing the anxiety of everyone's speechless reactions, Spyro looked around and noticed that all of them, including Professor Song, who has always presented herself as one full of confidence, was also concerned. Turning back to face this tall, brooding man, Spyro heard him say, "You've got a problem with that?"

"No," Cynder answered, expressing the uncertainty that everyone felt.

"Then in that case," the Doctor growled, "Allons-y!"


	5. Concerning Plans and Curiosity

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the content pertaining to these characters or any plot references. All rights are reserved by BBC, Insomniac Games, Vivendi, etc.**

Five

Concerning Plans and Curiosity

Stepping onto dead leaves and twigs, brushing through the thick brambles, crossing the shallow brooks, the Doctor briskly marched on without stop, or even a change of pace. He continued with a foreboding glare as he shifted his gaze in every direction, being as vigilant as possible. There was no way he could tell what inhabited this forest, let alone what might be lurking on this planet. However, he pressed onward, never slowing down to rest or even turning back to check on everyone else. He simply kept walking with consistency, never stopping. Beside him were the three dragons that called themselves the Guardians, who were also masters of their respective elements apparently. Directly following them was the escort of Hunter and his cheetahs alongside Professor Song's team, with Spyro and Cynder in the center, and Sparx hovering at their eye level. The moles marched on both sides of this party, as well as the rear, so as to cover their party's flanks. Professor Song, meanwhile, placed herself in between the two groups, keeping a short distance behind the Doctor, and watching his every move while keeping an eye on her scanner as well.

She found it very difficult to understand this much earlier Doctor. In a way he was as prolific as the Doctor she grew accustomed with, but more mature and less childlike. By the looks of his converse, suit and trench coat, he also displayed similar… _acquired_ taste as his future personification. And he possessed a certain level of determination and dedication to accomplish his goals, while at the same time showing an aged sense of exhaustion in his eyes, full of pains and old aches, but not as much as before, that is, _after_. However, what struck her as odd was his cold, distant manner. She recalled how similarly he behaved when he and Amy _will meet_ her at the _Byzantium_. How he was always drawing his attention away from her, so as not to have his emotions betray whatever he seemed to know particularly about her. But this time, he appeared to be drawing his attention away from everybody else, as if he wanted nothing to do with anyone ever again. And, from what he did not say, judging by his reaction to the dragons' entrance into the T.A.R.D.I.S., he was not in a particular mood for a new adventure. All from gathering this, River could tell that this younger Doctor will be much more difficult to manage than his future persona.

_That is, if he has a future_, River silently remarked. That fact that he even mentioned his death with such fearful certainty made her all the more uncomfortable about this excursion with him. Yes, she was always told that time can be rewritten, but she never expected such a thing from happening to the Doctor in this manner. She always knew about the fields of Trenzalore, through her days with Madame Kovarian and the Silence, and was aware of the numerous efforts they, and she, _will _make against his life to prevent it.

_Could this be another attempt_, she pondered, O_ne that they made sure even I was not aware of?_ The fact that this was a time before he even knew who her parents _will be_, let alone any clue as to who the Silence was, made River's theory seem more plausible. They could kill the Doctor, undoing any damage they would have caused with the cracks throughout the universe, as well as do away with kidnapping her altogether. She would never be the same woman as before, nor would she ever know the Doctor. The fact that he _will never recall_ any attempt against his life by the Silence upon meeting them later in Florida 1969, also supported this possibility. Not because he _will have forgotten_ the moment he looked away from them, but due to the supposition that if they succeed here, he will not even live to face them again. Although such thoughts mingled from within, Professor River Song kept an air of vigilance and self-containment as she watched her surroundings as well as her scanner, and maintaining her pace along with the rest of her comrades, or more accurately, keeping up with _him_.

Throughout the entire afternoon, the Doctor and company encountered very few creatures in the dark wood, all of which, though unnervingly exotic, were small and completely harmless. Instead of being comforted by this as much as most members of the group, especially Sparx, River knew that the Doctor felt even more suspicious by lack of lively activity during the day. Turning around to observe the dragons' escort, she surmised that Hunter doubted the forest's serenity as well, with his perked-up ears and wider-than-usual green irises always on alert. Then, after examining everyone else with a thorough glance, the pace that the Doctor has been trekking brought most of them nearly to the point of exhaustion, due to the fact that they mainly consisted of short, though sturdy moles. River firmly called out, "Doctor, we need find a place to make camp," and looking up, she added, "It's nearly dusk, and we can't all travel by night. Many of the troops are growing tired."

Upon hearing this, the Doctor finally reduced his stride to a slight shuffle, looking up to observe the sky also, then turning to examine the rest of the company himself. He then faced Terrador and asked, "How much farther to Warfang?"

"Almost two days as the dragon flies. But on foot, at least ten."

"Ten days," Sparx spoke in complaint, "I don't think my wings would last that long. No, seriously, I think they're about to fall off. I feel like one's gotten loose here."

"That is only if we maintain this pace," Terrador continued, "Any slower might make the trip three to five days longer."

"Oh, well that's comforting," was Sparx's response as he crossed his arms in an exhaustive pout.

"How far off's the closest settlement," the Doctor inquired, still trudging along, only backwards.

"My clan's village is not as far from here," Hunter replied, "At least two days on foot."

"And how many moles are here in total?"

"Eighteen of us, sir," exclaimed their commanding officer, "All present and accounted for."

"Doctor, what do you have in mind," River asked. But she did not need to hear the answer after he directed his next question to the Guardian dragons, "How many moles each of you can carry? Five, six?"

"Oh, I would say that is an adequate estimate considering their size and weight, as well as taking into account our own dimensions and prowess," Volteer answered, "Why are you making such queries anyway, Doctor…um, eh…Whoever-you-are?"

"I believe, Volteer, this enigmatic physician is contemplating that we should divide our forces," Cyril answered, "with us dragons transporting the moles to Warfang, while he and the others make the perilous journey to Hunter's village on foot, where we can rendezvous with them after delivering the moles to safety."

"It'll reduce the trip to at least six days," the Doctor reasoned, still shuffling in a backward fashion, "Also give more opportunities to rest for those of us who need it."

"But is that such a good idea," Cynder spoke up from within the escort, "I mean, splitting us up like that might leave us more vulnerable from an ambush."

"She's right, Doctor," River added, "There's no telling what lies ahead of us."

"Nah, we'll be fine," he answered with a shrug, "We'll certainly be able to take care of ourselves for a few days, what with a pack of armed cheetahs and the two mighty dragons they're escorting," then shifting his gaze to River he muttered, "Also a human archeological team with highly advanced weapons."

They both stared at each other for a brief, silent moment, without displaying any emotions that might betray either his sentiments of suspicion and intrigue, or her own intentions. The Doctor then suddenly drew away from their contest and added, "Besides, the sooner we get to Warfang, the sooner I can meet with this Professor. And the sooner I can get answers of how to retrieve my T.A.R.D.I.S."

"Hey," Sparx brightened up, "Six days instead of ten and more rest sounds good to me. No arguements here."

After the Doctor turned around to walk forwards again, River could not help but smirk at his attempt to attain answers from her, as was his custom ever since he first asked her who she is at Demon's Run, for her that is.

_I suppose some things never change_.

* * *

><p>Upon agreeing that the dragons depart with the moles at dawn, the group pitched camp in an adequate clearing near a wide stream. The Doctor simply stood at the waterline, with his back towards the camp and his hands in his pant pockets, facing the forest beyond as it grew darker with each passing moment after sundown. In order to watch for any activity from within the dark wood, he reasoned that it would be best if he kept his vision away from the bright campfire. He would shift his eyes and turn his head around the edge of the clearing in three-second intervals, keeping a sharp watch as everyone was making the final preparations for their camp. The species to first complete such tasks and took the first watch with him were the cheetahs, standing, crouching or sitting on or near a log or boulder at the edge of camp. He became aware of their leader, Hunter, who was approaching him from behind his right shoulder as he continued with his probing the darkened forest.<p>

"We must follow this stream against the current," he told the Doctor, "It will lead us straight to the village."

"Right, yeah. Very nice," he replied with a long inhale from his nostrils as he kept watch with a firm vigilance, "Tell me something, Hunter, are the woods usually this quiet all day and night."

_Why would his parents give him a name like that,_ he pondered to himself, _It's not like hunting means everything for a cheetah_.

"Since the pirates began their raids across the world," Hunter answered "most wildlife have grown accustomed to concealing themselves in burrows or tree hollows whenever they sense a large force approaching."

"And that was what? Nine years ago?"

"Seven. After Spyro and Cynder restored the realms of Avalar from Malefor's destruction, his remaining ape forces made a last effort by terrorizing wherever they could. It took us two years to finally halt their movements, along with the other clans they influenced along the way."

"And before that was the year you spent searching for them? The two dragons."

"Correct."

"And when did Professor Song and her team show up?"

"More than two years ago, shortly after the pirates attained more powerful weapons."

_Well that can't be just a coincidence_.

"Yeah, right," the Doctor casually continued from his train of thought, "And I noticed that they shared with you their own." He tilted his head to Hunter's hip, where a rifle was hanging from a shoulder strap.

"They taught the moles how to assemble them. Told them what material they were made of, and how to forge the small projectiles that are emitted from within. They then instructed us on how to wield them." With a slight shift of balance he added, "They're difficult to handle, and very loud. So we use them only as a last resort."

"Which has happened more often than you would like, hasn't it?"

"This was so, unfortunately. But it also helped us to grow in using them efficiently."

Feeling uncomfortable about where this conversation was going, the Doctor decided to ask a different question, "How did this… Malefor bloke destroy the world-well, tried to anyway?"

"Using the infinite power he possessed, the Dark Master summoned the Destroyer, a mighty beast that dwelt in the heart of a volcano. By encircling all the realms in a ring of fire that it left with each passing step, it began the process of purging this world by shattering it to pieces."

"And Spyro and Cynder? How did they stop it?"

"They couldn't. It was so great in size that it was able to complete its circle within a few hours."

"Blimey, so that must've been too big for them, or any dragon to handle."

"Though that didn't stop them and the Guardians from trying. But they realized that the only way to really stop the purge was to destroy the source of its power."

"They had to face Malefor himself. And alone?"

"Not entirely. You see, the Fire Guardian, Ignitus, helped Spyro and Cynder cross through the Ring of Fire in order for them to reach the Dark Master, sacrificing his own life in the process. And when they did face him, they relied on one another for strength."

"So, judging by the fact that everything is in one piece means that they succeeded. But how? How were they able to defeat Malefor if he was so powerful?"

"As was the Dark Master, Spyro and Cynder are purple dragons. Certain dragons are masters of their respective elements, fire, ice, earth and electricity, each identified by the color of their scales. But purple dragons can master every element, and possess endless power and energy. That's how they were able to defeat him."

_And how they ensured the shattered world was still intact, with an atmosphere and everything. Though that's a bit anticlimactic, I think. I would've expected a more complex explanation. But how did they get into the time vortex, and into the T.A.R.D.I.S., even with that kind of power?_

"And these purple dragons, are there many of them—well, that is, as many of them as the next ordinary dragon?"

"Actually, no," Hunter continued answering the Doctor's questions with firmness and patience, understanding how unusual this world must be to him, as his own breed was unusual to Hunter.

"One purple dragon egg is laid in nests throughout the world, but only every ten generations. After the brood of eggs is gathered at the Dragon Temple to be safely guarded, they would hatch during the Year of the Dragon, which occurs every twelve years."

"So even after the egg comes along, the parents still had to wait up to twelve years for it to hatch?" _Talk about terrible social services._

"But what about the rest of them? How come only those two hatched and not the others?"

"I'm afraid that's a story for another time, Doctor," Hunter replied gloomily, "But what does matter at the present, is that they've returned, and that they can aid us now in restoring order throughout the realms of Avalar."

"Yeah, but they just got back. I mean, for you lot, it's been ten years. But for them, they just returned after fighting a ferocious dragon that was exponentially bigger and far more powerful than them. They might have experienced a little trauma, or, you know, shock in the process. They might want to spend some time to recover once they reach Warfang, right?"

"You are wise to bring up such matters concerning their wellbeing, Doctor. But I'm afraid there is little to no time for anyone to recover, but to prepare for what happens next. Such was indicated by your urgency to reacquire your vessel earlier today if I recall."

The Doctor could not argue with that voice of reason, given that was precisely how he handled the situation all day. Ever since Spyro and Cynder dropped right into his lap in a flash of light, directly after he made the worst mistake of his life, all he could do was press on. It seemed as though he could never catch a break. As if the entire universe were completely against him, or he against the universe, or both.

"Yeah, I suppose you got me there, Hunter," he answered in kind, "But still, I think by the time we reach the city, or maybe even your village, they should take the time to rest." After a brief nod in response, Hunter asked, "And you, Doctor? Won't you rest?"

"No, not me. I've got work to do the moment I step inside Warfang. Which, you know, in retrospect, doesn't sound like a safe haven, let alone a place to recuperate. In fact, it's two words that imply death and destruction that are conjoined together. Sounds more like you're inviting further conflict than anything else."

It was an understatement that the Purple Savior and the former Terror of the Skies needed to recover from their encounter with Malefor. They never realized how exhausted they truly were. So much so, that while Hunter and the Doctor were conversing during their watch, and everyone else was preparing a meal on the fire before they turned in, Spyro and Cynder lied down on the grass amongst the tents, facing opposite from each other, and fell asleep almost instantly. It was understated also that they might have suffered any sort of trauma.


End file.
